Stunting vs. GDP per capita in Nigeria

Nigeria: Stunting vs. GDP per capita was 33.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
33.8%
Change on year
up 7.3%
World rank
18th
of 97 countries
All-time high
48.7%
in 1990
All-time low
31.5%
in 2020
Years of data
10
1990–2021

Stunting vs. GDP per capita in Nigeria, 1990–2021

010203040501990200520211990: 48.7 %1993: 43.8 %2003: 42.5 %2011: 35.8 %2014: 33.6 %2015: 33 %2016: 43.6 %2018: 36.8 %2020: 31.5 %2021: 33.8 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2021, stunting vs. gdp per capita in Nigeria stood at 33.8%.

That represents a change of up 7.3% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, stunting vs. gdp per capita in Nigeria peaked at 48.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 2020.

That places Nigeria 18th out of 97 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 46.2% 43.8% 48.7% 2
2000s 42.5% 42.5% 42.5% 1
2010s 36.6% 33.0% 43.6% 5
2020s 32.6% 31.5% 33.8% 2

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 16 Zambia 34.6% compare
  2. 17 Benin 34.1% compare
  3. 19 Rwanda 33.1% compare
  4. 20 Laos 32.8% compare
  5. 21 Chad 31.9% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is stunting vs. gdp per capita in Nigeria?
Stunting vs. gdp per capita in Nigeria was 33.8% in 2021, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 48.7% in 1990.
What is the lowest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 2020.
How does Nigeria rank for stunting vs. gdp per capita?
Nigeria ranks 18th out of 97 countries with data for 2021.
Is stunting vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Stunting vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Stunting vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
97 places, 955 data points, 1985–2024
Last refreshed

Stunting measures the share of children younger than 5 years that are too short for their age. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.